I began my page-by-page review of Created To Be His Help Meet well over three years ago. I proposed the series in a September 18th, 2012, post, Shall I Review Created To Be His Help Meet?, and received an overwhelmingly affirmative response. And so I began. Reviewing the book, page by page, took over two years and became one of the most well-loved features of this blog. Debi’s writing was often disturbing—she advises women to obey their husband without question and never stand up for or assert themselves, after all—but it could also be entertaining. I completed the series just over a year ago, in October 2014, but I never really wrote any form of summary wrap-up.
Today I offer you a compilation of all of the posts in my Created To Be His Help Meet review series, broken down by chapter. Enjoy! Oh, and feel free to discuss. If you were around for the series, what posts were your favorite, so to speak? What themes especially horrified you? Where would you recommend new readers to start?
Front Matter
Michael Pearl’s Stamp of Approval
Michael and Debi’s Whirlwind Romance
Part 1 — The Help Meet
1. God’s Gift
In Which Debi Twists Scripture
What Is a “Help Meet” (in the KJV)
2. A Merry Heart
In Which Debi Almost Gets Something Right
3. A Thankful Spirit
Contentment Is All That Matters
4. Thanksgiving Produces Joy
In Which Mike Spills the Garbage
On Being Your Husband’s “Playmate”
5. The Gift of Wisdom
In Which Debi Poisons the Well
In Which Debi Reveals Her Mandate
6. The Beginning of Wisdom
Else God Will Drive You Mad (Literally)
7. Wisdom — While There Is Yet Hope
Debi Pearl and the Sex-Obsessed Babysitter
Michael’s Meat, Sit Down and Shut Up, and It’s All in Your Head
8. Wisdom to Understand Your Man
The Command Man Tames the Shrew
Don’t Take Your Mr. Stead for Granted
9. Finding Your Life in His
The Butter Churn, the Carrot, and the Stick
10. Reactions Define You
Don’t Resist, Confront, or Challenge
11. The Nature of Man and Woman
Taming Wild Horses and Lassoing Bears
You Only Think You’re Spiritual!
Adam Knew (But It’s Eve’s Fault)
Don’t Take Your Husband to Church
The Proverbs 31 Woman Served Her Husband
12. By Divine Appointment
In Which Debi Can’t Read Genesis
Women Can Be Effective Leaders—So What?
In Which Debi Has Scientific Proof
13. The Great Mystery
The (Proxy) Bride of (an Abusive) Christ
14. King and Kingdoms
Surrendering Your Autonomy to Another
In Which a Woman Dares to Assert Agency
The Tale of the Purple Flowers PJ Girl
Pick a Girl with Low Self Esteem (Yes Really)
Part 2 — Titus 2
Sheer Terror Is a Good Motivator
15. To Be Sober — 1
Talk to Your Husband about How You Feel? Ha!
How to Cook to Please Your Husband
Debi Takes Us Back to the 1950s
Having a Nervous Breakdown? Selfish Woman!
16. To Love Their Husbands — 2
Tell My Wife to Have Sex with Me!
Divine Lovers and Desparate Castration
Sexual Intercourse = Our Relationship with Jesus
17. To Love Their Children — 3
Praying Women and “Spiritual Masturbation”
Daycare Is Adopting Your Kids Out
Sexually Abused Children as Broken, Diseased
18. To Be Discreet — 4
Discretion and the Jewel in the Pig’s Nose
Debi Speaks on Ruth’s Sex Life (and a Stove)
Men Can’t Take Criticism (Ever)
19. Chaste — 5
David’s Sin Was All Bathsheba’s Fault
20. Keepers at Home — 6
Stay at Home or Your Child Will Be Molested
God or Husband—Whom Do I Obey?
21. Good — 7
Wives, Cover for Your Husbands
Your Husband Can’t Cover for You
Don’t Take Your Kids to the Doctor
Be Entrepreneurs—but Only at Home!
22. Obedient to Their Own Husbands — 8
He Will Be Your Head, and You Will Follow Him
(Misplaced) Hope for an Abused Woman
Obey Your Husband So He Will Have Nothing to Beat Down
Men Are Powder Kegs (So Don’t Provoke Them)
Michael Compliments Himself—by Complimenting Debi
Don’t Sympathize with Your Husband
In Which Debi Further Confuses Poor Sue Ann
23. To Obey or Not to Obey
In Which Shannon Smashes Her Husband’s Computer
God Does Not Override a Man’s Authority
Cross-Dressing (with a Dose of Transphobia)
So Your Husband Says Not to Go to Church . . .
In Which Debi Explains Abigail
24. Heirs Together on the Grace of Life
Beautiful Sarah, and Abraham’s Lie
In Which Debi Mangles Another Bible Character
What “Companionship” Means in Pearl World
A Young Wife Should Be “Bored and Lonely”
Why Was Marian’s Husband So Loving?
After Matter